Jose Iglesias at croSSroads

Friday, February 15, 2013 -- Anonymous (not verified)

Make-or-break year as challengers rise

Sections:

Boston Red Sox

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Author(s):

Scott Lauber

FORT MYERS — Jose Iglesias was taking batting practice the other day when he launched a home run that cleared a Green Monster-sized fence at one of the back fields of the Red Sox’ spring training complex.

Standing in the outfield, resident wisecracker Dustin Pedroia hollered that he never knew Iglesias could hit a ball so far.

“To the moon!” Iglesias yelled back.

Coincidentally, that’s how far the Red Sox would go to find more than merely a stopgap for their revolving door at shortstop. Since Nomar Garciaparra was dealt at the trade deadline in 2004, 22 shortstops have started for the Sox, who somehow still have made five postseason appearances and won two World Series without a trace of stability at such an important position.

Iglesias was supposed to be the answer. Signed to a four-year, $8.25 million contract after defecting from Cuba in 2009, he might be the majors’ best defensive shortstop if only he could remain in the majors. But he hasn’t hit enough at any level, including a hard-to-watch 8-for-68 stretch late last season that prompted the Red Sox to sign free agent shortstop Stephen Drew to a one-year contract and dangle Iglesias in trade talks.

And so, Iglesias has arrived at a crossroads.

At 23, he’s still too young to be cast off as a failure. But he also is no longer the Red Sox’ most touted shortstop, having ceded that distinction to 20-year-old top prospect Xander Bogaerts. There’s even more buzz surrounding Deven Marrero, the first-round pick who was surprisingly invited to big league camp despite being drafted only last year.

“We have a lot of talented shortstops here,” Iglesias said before the Red Sox’ first full-squad workout yesterday. “But I can’t control that. My mentality is to be a better player every day, try to get better every single minute. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

To that end, Iglesias bulked up this winter, adding about 10 pounds of muscle mass and shedding body fat. And although he spent most of the offseason at his home in Miami, he also traveled to Arizona for a week in December to work out with Pedroia.

It was Pedroia’s idea. Over the past few years, he has developed a big brother/little brother relationship with Iglesias, challenging the shortstop to make the most of his ability.

“A lot of veteran guys helped me out when I was younger,” Pedroia said, “so I feel responsible to try to help any young player out the best I can.”

In paying it forward to Iglesias, Pedroia looked back to when he was trying to break into the majors. Called up by the Red Sox late in the 2006 season, he went 17-for-79 (.191) with two homers and a .258 on-base percentage. There were times when he wondered if he’d ever feel comfortable at the plate.

One year later, Pedroia was named American League Rookie of the Year.

The difference, of course, is that Pedroia batted .308 with an .844 on-base plus slugging percentage in 1,040 minor league at-bats. Iglesias is a .264 hitter with a .626 OPS in 979 minor league at-bats.

“I’ve just told him, ‘Man, use your strengths,’ ” Pedroia said. “His hand-eye coordination is so good, and he needs to find a way to use that. He hasn’t done that yet. He’s starting to figure it out. You can just tell in his (batting practice). He’s on top of the ball, using his hands. When it clicks for him, it’s going to be good.”

Said Iglesias: “It was good for me to be there for a week, listen to him. That’s big for me, especially at the beginning of my career, to get that advice.”

For now, Iglesias is ticketed for Triple A. If he shows enough offensive improvement, it will be difficult for the Red Sox to leave him in the minors. If not, he will be lapped by Bogaerts and eventually Marrero.

Last September reaffirmed Iglesias’ shortcomings at the plate, but he insists the experience will make him better. He started 20 of the final 28 games, hit his first major league homer Sept. 20 against the Tampa Bay Rays, and dealt with the embarrassment of being pulled from a game midway through an at-bat by manager Bobby Valentine on Sept. 16 in Toronto.

“Every day I learned something,” Iglesias said. “I didn’t hit too well in September, but I learned from that. I knew I had to get stronger to put myself in good position to be a better player every day. That was my goal.”

Now, though, the time has come either for Iglesias to reach his goals or for the Red Sox to move on.